The Netherlands’ regulated online gambling sector showed limited movement in H2 2025, according to the Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), even as player behaviour and market distribution continued to shift.
The regulator’s report recorded €602 million in gross gaming yield (GGY) between July and December 2025, averaging about €100 million per month. Despite stable headline revenue, the KSA noted longer-term decline when adjusted for inflation and compared with earlier periods.
Online slots dominated activity with 78% of GGY, followed by sports betting at 20%. Peer-to-peer games accounted for 1.8%, while horse racing made up 0.2%.
The licensed market included 31 operators, with 27 active. However, concentration at the top fell again, as the three largest operators dropped to 30–40% market share in December 2025, down from 40–50% mid-year and 45–55% at the end of 2024.
The KSA linked this shift to stronger competition and possible movement toward unlicensed platforms. Several operators, including LiveScore Group and Flutter’s Tombola, left the market in 2024 due to regulatory pressure.
Player Activity Rises In Accounts But Not Users
Licensed operators reported 1.38 million active accounts monthly, up from 1.29 million. However, the KSA estimated 810,000 distinct players participated in H2 2025, down from about 850,000 earlier in the year.
Monthly active users averaged 500,000, compared with 540,000 previously. The gap between accounts and users suggested increased multi-account activity, linked to deposit limits introduced in October 2024.
Average loss per account was €73 monthly, down slightly from €77. Per player, losses rose to €124. Around 36% of accounts lost between €100 and €1,000 monthly, while 0.6%—about 50,000 accounts—lost more than €1,000.
Slot games showed the highest intensity, with €18 average hourly losses and greater engagement than other casino formats.
Young Adults And Rising Harm Concerns
Young adults aged 18 to 23 generated €61 million in GGY, or 10.2% of the market. They held 22% of active accounts, about 305,000, despite representing 9.3% of the adult population.
Their average loss per account was €34, compared with €73 across all users. The KSA also reiterated that underage access remained effectively blocked, stating it was “virtually impossible” for minors to register under current systems.
Gambling harm indicators rose, with treatment cases increasing 10% to 2,708 in 2024. Cruks registrations reached 111,534 by January 2026, while involuntary exclusions rose to 442 in H2 2025, up from 161 earlier.
Ads Fall As Illegal Market Expands
Advertising restrictions introduced since 2023 continued to reshape the sector. Online ads must primarily target those aged 24+, while offline gambling advertising is banned. Paid online ads fell 42% in H2 2025.
Despite tighter rules, 2.1 million non-players visited gambling sites in H2 2025.
Channelisation reached 92%, but illegal activity increased. Around 480,000 players used only legal sites monthly, while 30,000 used only illegal platforms and 20,000 used both. Only 53% of gambling spend now flows through licensed operators, with higher losses reported in the black market.
Source:
"Monitoringsrapportage online kansspelen", kansspelautoriteit.nl, April 2026
PressPlay 13 days ago Newbie
Great analysis! Honestly, this isn't a huge surprise. While it's easy to point the finger at the advertising ban, this feels more like the market finding its natural, more stable level after that initial 'gold rush' when it first opened up. The goal was always to create a safer, more sustainable environment, not just endless...
Great analysis! Honestly, this isn't a huge surprise. While it's easy to point the finger at the advertising ban, this feels more like the market finding its natural, more stable level after that initial 'gold rush' when it first opened up. The goal was always to create a safer, more sustainable environment, not just endless growth. The real challenge—and opportunity—for operators now is to focus on player retention and offering a top-notch product instead of just big bonuses. This is the shift from a 'Wild West' to a mature market. Really interested to see what kind of innovation this new phase brings! Thanks for the report.
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Bubanja
2 months ago
Moderator
Feels like the Netherlands market is hitting that point where stricter regulation is starting to backfire a bit. You tighten ads and impose limits to protect players, which makes sense, but then you see more people drifting toward unlicensed sites anyway. That drop in total players but rise in accounts is also a bit telling—people...
Feels like the Netherlands market is hitting that point where stricter regulation is starting to backfire a bit. You tighten ads and impose limits to protect players, which makes sense, but then you see more people drifting toward unlicensed sites anyway. That drop in total players but rise in accounts is also a bit telling—people are clearly trying to work around restrictions. It’s a tricky balance, because if regulation gets too heavy, it might just push activity underground instead of actually reducing harm.
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tough_nut
2 months ago
Moderator
Stable on the surface, but the underlying signals aren’t great. Revenue flat, fewer actual players, more multi-accounting, and a clear drift toward the black market despite tighter rules. Feels like regulation is squeezing operators without really reducing overall risk, just redistributing it.
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